Beebe, Alice: A real prairie pioneer woman

Marie Alice Elizabeth Beebe (Davis) passed away peacefully in the Red Deer Regional Hospital at 2:20 a.m. on Mon., May 23, 2016. She would have been 87 years old on Tues., May 24.

Alice was born on the farm north of Veteran on May 24, 1929. She was raised in the area and finished her schooling by graduating from Ponoka High School in 1947, then taught for a short time at Nose Hills after that.

Alice married Delford Beebe in 1951 and soon started their family.

They resided 12 miles north of Veteran for many years. From there Alice moved to the Consort Seniors Lodge until health issues forced her to move to a care home in Red Deer.

Family was the most important thing in her life. She was the mother of six, grandmother of 11 and great grandmother of nine.

Being a real prairie pioneer woman, born and raised in the Nose Hills area, she knew the value of hard work, family, community and living alongside mother nature.

She was a member of a number of organizations including the Nose Hills ladies group, Catholic Women’s League, Nose Hills Community Centre, a square dancing club, and the Brownfield quilting group.

She was also very active with the Boy Scout group, and did massive “album history” for that group, and also did a massive research/history for the old schools in the area.

The majority of the pictures are now hanging in the Veteran Community Hall for all to see.
She enjoyed baking, antiques, collecting coins, license plates, spoons, stamps and travelling. She also sold Avon products in the community. Alice had a garden that never ended. She would ride the little “ride ‘em” lawn mower for hours on end to keep the lawns and yard looking neatly trimmed.
Her life was dedicated to raising her children and helping family. Many hours were spent making pies, washing and ironing clothes. She helped Delford with the farm work and was always trying to be a good neighbour.

Love, patience, kindness, hard word and understanding plus a strong belief were some of the very important values she instilled in her children.

There was never a dull moment in her life on the farm or when she lived in the Consort Villa and then continued to Extendicare Michener Hill, Red Deer, Ab.

She continued gathering friends and attending church, card games, bingo and music programs. She made the most of her life despite many, many hardships, one of which was kidney dialysis at the Red Deer Hospital three times a week.

She will be forever missed and never forgotten as she holds a special place in our hearts. She always had wings and now she can fly.

She is also survived by her brother Pat (Joanne) Davis; sisters-in-law Jeanette Davis and Gene Davis; brothers-in-law Bud Devey and Ernest Monagle; nieces, nephews; other family members and many dear friends.

A funeral service for the late Alice Beebe was held on Mon., May 30, 2016 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Consort, Ab. with Father Leon Kler officiating.

Loving words of remembrance were given by grandchildren Darla Preston, Erin Trout and Mike Preston. Marilyn Long shared her gift of music as pianist and leader of song. Readers were Martha Oxamitny and Gordon Long.

Alice was laid to rest in Veteran Cemetery, Veteran, Ab. beside her husband Delford Beebe.
Donations in memory of Alice are gratefully accepted to a charity of your choice c/o Parkview Funeral Chapels & Crematorium, Box 186, Castor, Alberta T0C 0X0, 403-578-3777, who were entrusted with the care and funeral arrangements. To send or view condolences to the family, please visit www.parkviewfuneralchapels.com.

Card of Thanks
Thanks to all her caregivers and a special thanks to the Red Deer Dialysis Unit for all their care and attention to our mother’s needs and to Parkview Funeral Chapel for a job well done and all their help.